Logotherapy-Based Online Education to Improve Physical Activity in Sedentary Workers

Overview

Insufficient physical activity (PA) among individuals with sedentary occupations is associated with an increased risk of chronic disease and reduced health-related quality of life. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an originally developed logotherapy-based distance education program on physical activity, sedentary behavior, and selected aspects of health-related quality of life. A minimum of 200 participants aged 35-60 years with sedentary occupations will be recruited from multiple organizations in Croatia and randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. All participants will complete validated questionnaires assessing physical activity, sedentary behavior, health-related quality of life, self-efficacy, meaning in life, and motivation for exercise at baseline and after the intervention period. The experimental group will participate in an eight-week online education program consisting of weekly 30-minute sessions followed by brief discussions, while the control group will continue their usual lifestyle without intervention. The intervention integrates principles of logotherapy and existential analysis with the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change and the CALO-RE behavior change taxonomy. The findings may contribute to the development of more effective, meaning-centered approaches to promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior in adult populations.

Physical inactivity and prolonged sedentary behavior are major public health concerns associated with increased risk of chronic diseases and reduced health-related quality of life. Employees with sedentary occupations are particularly affected due to prolonged sitting time and insufficient daily movement. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a logotherapy-based distance education intervention on physical activity levels, sedentary behavior, and selected aspects of health-related quality of life in adults with sedentary occupations. The intervention integrates principles of logotherapy and existential analysis with the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change and the CALO-RE behavior change taxonomy. The theoretical framework emphasizes meaning-centered motivation as a potential mechanism for sustainable behavior change in physical activity. A randomized controlled design will be applied. A minimum of 200 participants aged 35-60 years will be recruited from organizations in Croatia and randomly assigned to either an experimental or control group. The experimental group will participate in an eight-week online educational program consisting of weekly 30-minute sessions followed by brief discussions, while the control group will maintain their usual lifestyle without intervention. Outcome measures will be assessed at baseline and after the intervention using validated instruments, including the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ), SF-36 Health Survey, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Meaning in Life Scale, and Exercise Motivations Inventory-2 (EMI-2). It is hypothesized that participants in the experimental group will demonstrate increased physical activity, reduced sedentary behavior, improved health-related quality of life, and higher levels of self-efficacy, meaning in life, and motivation for exercise compared to the control group.